Power Automate Expression Tutorial: Format Number

In this tutorial, Jonathon Silva walks through how to format numerical values within Power Automate, specifically focusing on formatting whole numbers and currency values to display properly in emails. The challenge addressed in the video is how Power Automate can sometimes fail to properly format numbers, such as adding thousands separators or ensuring decimal places are included for currency values. Jonathon demonstrates how to use the "Format Number" function in Power Automate to easily resolve these issues.

Overview of Power Automate Flow Setup

The tutorial starts by showcasing a simple flow in Power Automate, which consists of two primary steps:

1. The flow is triggered when an item is created in a SharePoint list.
2. An email is sent based on the data from the newly created item, including the monetary values of "estimated airfare" and "estimated hotel cost."

The focus is on how these values are displayed in the email, especially for currency fields, which need to show thousands separators, decimal points, and currency symbols like the dollar sign.

Issue with Number Formatting

When viewed directly in SharePoint, the numerical values for estimated airfare and hotel costs are formatted correctly, with dollar signs and comma separators for thousands. However, when these values are passed through Power Automate into an email, they lose the formatting, resulting in numbers that are difficult to read or understand. Jonathon illustrates this issue by showing an email where the numbers are displayed without any commas or decimals.

Using the Format Number Expression

To solve this issue, Jonathon demonstrates how to use the "Format Number" function in Power Automate. Here’s how:

1. First, select the "Format Number" expression from the list of available expressions in Power Automate.
2. Next, use dynamic content to select the field you want to format (in this case, the estimated hotel cost).
3. After selecting the number, add a comma in the expression to separate it from the format string.
4. Now, specify the desired format by adding a string of characters inside single quotes, such as "###,###.00", which will format the number with commas and two decimal places.

Jonathon highlights the use of the pound sign (#) in the format string. The # symbol is a placeholder for digits, and it allows for skipping leading zeros, making the output cleaner and more consistent. For example, if a value exceeds one million, the format will display commas in the appropriate places (e.g., 1,000,000).

Optional Format Features

In addition to adding commas and decimal places, the format string can be customized further:

• Use the letter "e" for exponential notation if needed.
• Include a percent sign (%) to display numbers as percentages.
• Separate sections with semicolons to apply different formats to positive and negative numbers.

Testing the Formatting

After applying the format number expression, Jonathon tests the flow again by sending an email. The result is a well-formatted number that includes the thousand separator, as well as the decimal places (even if they are "0.00" when no decimal number is provided). He compares the result with the original email where the number was displayed without any formatting.

The email now correctly shows numbers with thousands separators and two decimal places for currency values, making it much easier to read and interpret. Jonathon concludes by emphasizing how using Power Automate's "Format Number" function can significantly improve the clarity of numerical data in emails and workflows.

Conclusion

By utilizing the "Format Number" function in Power Automate, users can easily format numbers for emails, ensuring that they are clear, consistent, and formatted according to the desired specifications. This simple but powerful feature is especially useful when working with currency or large numbers, ensuring they are presented in a professional and readable format every time.

Stay tuned for more Power Automate tutorials where Jonathon explores more use cases and advanced features to improve your workflows and automate tasks more efficiently.

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